Is That Wrong?

-Bang!

But her body was too tired to dodge the combination.

As Binz staggered back after colliding with the lightning bolt that was fired, she began to feel a buzzing sensation from her skin.

‘The barrier is severely damaged.’

The intensity of the light flowing through the bracelet’s engraving indicates the durability of the barrier.

On the other hand, the opponent still hasn’t allowed a single attack.

“Um…”

At the moment when the tide of battle had completely turned.

Yet the boy who had landed an attack on her was, for some reason, looking at her with an uncertain expression.

“Why don’t you surrender at this point?”

“…Surrender?”

“Uh, yeah. You look tired and… it seems meaningless to continue any further.”

Words without any malice.

She could tell that just from his cautious attitude towards her.

After all, in the current situation, no one would predict her victory.

“Nonsense!!!”

Nevertheless, Binz didn’t give up and snapped her fingers.

The moment the surrounding mana responded roughly to that will.

But while her action was violent, Binz hadn’t lost her reason yet.

‘Think, think! How did that guy block all my attacks…!’

Use anger as a means to regain composure instead.

That was the teaching her father had repeatedly emphasized whenever he taught her.

‘Gas, heat, electricity… All attacks applying these are being blocked. Then does that power block all impacts from outside?’

No, it doesn’t block everything.

When magic collides with his body, his hair flutters.

He feels the glare when light bursts and his breathing is normal. Even if it doesn’t lead to a hit, he should feel at least a slight tremor on his skin.

So at least the phenomenon of my magic affecting that boy isn’t ‘zero’.

In the first place, if it blocked everything that could be called energy, all the heat in that body should be lost, so at least the phenomenon of ‘collision’ is occurring.

‘Is he unconsciously filtering out what should and shouldn’t be blocked right after the collision?’

Then why are spells subject to that bizarre defense technique?

To analyze this, Binz recalled one by one in her mind the commonalities of the magic she had used so far.

It extinguishes flames ‘grown’ through lowered ignition points.

It blocks currents ‘amplified’ using frictional heat and static electricity as mediums.

It’s the same even when throwing things ‘frozen’ from gas or liquid.

Even atmospheric pressure generated by ‘pushing’ fluids disappeared instantly the moment it touched that boy’s body…

‘Yes, magic is ultimately transforming something from one form to another.’

In other words, it’s about reverting B back to A, or inducing a phenomenon that looks like that.

Literally nullification.

If that inference is true, then the person in front of her would be ‘a being who can theoretically defeat even an archmage with bare hands’.

Only when it comes to magicians, that is.

‘Then, how about techniques that don’t go through such transformation?’

-Crack!

Eventually, the force applied to her feet shattered the floor of the training ground, and those stone fragments rose up and began to be shot forward.

And at that moment, what the boy did when faced with the stone fragments was…

“Whoa!?”

He twisted his body on the spot to avoid the trajectory of the stones.

The boy who had ridiculously taken all attacks with his body so far dodged her attack for the first time.

“Why… did you dodge?”

“Why I dodged… Well, because it hurts if you get hit by stones.”

“You took all magic head-on, but you’re afraid of mere stones and dodged them?”

“…Huh?”

Dale Enberton had a blank expression at her words.

He seemed to lack even the awareness of what he had done.

And that reaction soon came to Binz as a chance for victory.

“I see, so that technique you showed can’t nullify everything.”

No, should I say constitution rather than technique?

Whatever it is, it’s certain that her guess has been proven true by his current statement.

What that boy nullifies are only things that have gone through ‘transformation’ using magic or mana itself.

In other words, if she deals with existing objects themselves, he would become powerless.

“…This works out well. Telekinesis is my specialty.”

Telekinesis that merely lifts and throws objects.

Ironically, this simple technique was the one that Binz’s family emphasized honing the most.

Telekinesis is not only the basis of all magic but also the technique that mana users can use the fastest.

In other words, the Jogret family, who have lived their entire lives only for war, are ‘all specialists in telekinesis’.

“Let’s see if you can dodge all of these too.”

With that confidence, stones controlled by telekinesis began to orbit around her.

Increasing the centripetal force of the stones by rotating the mana she had anchored to herself.

The throw made when the resulting centrifugal force reaches its maximum far exceeds the speed of a stone thrown by hand.

“Uh, uwah!? Th-this is dangerous…”

Dale frantically kicked off from his spot and fled, dodging those stones.

An unsightly escape compared to how he had taken everything with his body until now.

But despite that desperate run, one stone collided with Dale’s thigh just as he thought he had barely escaped the range.

“Ugh!”

Dale collapsed to the ground with the intense pain felt in his thigh.

His body rolled on the floor of the training ground, covered in dust, but Binz didn’t sympathize with that sight.

“You’re overreacting. The barrier is in place, so you shouldn’t feel pain. Don’t you find it ridiculous to be in agony from mere stone throws that aren’t even proper magic?”

“…Barrier?”

And only after hearing those words did Dale remember the fact he had forgotten.

That at this moment, they who are participating in the duel have a minimum protective device protecting their bodies.

But currently, no light is emitting from Dale’s bracelet.

‘It didn’t work?’

He was late in noticing because he was distracted by the initial rapid-fire.

That his nullification ability applies not only to the opponent’s magic but also to the magic tools he uses.

“Um, Teacher!! This bracelet…”

“Huh? What about the bracelet?”

Judge Gale felt puzzled at Dale’s cry.

He was genuinely showing a reaction of not understanding why Dale was calling him.

“Don’t worry. The energy won’t run out right away just from getting hit by a few stones thrown with telekinesis. In the first place, if the bracelet’s energy drops to a dangerous level, you’ll hear a sound, so you can continue fighting for now.”

“Ah, no, that’s not…”

“Or are you going to surrender now?”

Dale’s mouth, which was about to say something to Gale’s question, closed shut.

Surrender… Declaring that means losing this fight.

Of course, he could reveal his ability and request a correction regarding this part.

But.

‘Dale, I think it’s better not to mention your ability directly with your own mouth unless it’s absolutely necessary before it’s revealed.’

‘Why?’

‘Because in a society centered around magic, a power that interferes with magic will attract attention in many ways.’

Yes, there was such a caution.

That’s why Dale had firmly resolved not to directly mention his ability until someone noticed it themselves.

‘…But I don’t want to surrender.’

Dale gritted his teeth to endure the pain and stood up.

As if waiting for him to regain his posture, Binz was just standing in place with stones floating around her.

“You urged me to surrender, but you don’t like surrendering yourself?”

Was it because she had gained the upper hand?

Binz, with a deep smile on her face, quietly pointed her finger at Dale while glaring at him.

Preparing to fire an attack at any moment.

“What a pathetic struggle!!”

The stones responding to that will began to fly towards Dale again.

He’s running around the field trying to avoid that attack as much as possible, but about two out of ten were hitting Dale’s body, accumulating damage.

And of course, magic requires concentration.

Rather, for Dale who needs a lot of concentration due to his constitution, it wasn’t easy to concentrate while enduring attacks directed at him.

“What’s wrong? Weren’t you looking down on me just a moment ago!?”

On the other hand, Binz had composure.

Telekinesis is an ‘easy technique’ that merely lifts things controlled by will.

And Binz had honed her telekinesis to the point where she could link it to throws that maximize the power of such a simple technique.

“Yes, this unsightly and pitiful state must be your true form.”

But even so, this situation didn’t make sense.

What on earth is this situation?

Where is the fierce battle she had expected?

“Do you know why I didn’t use telekinesis, my specialty, from the beginning?”

Despite showing her overwhelming despair, he’s just pathetically running away as soon as he overcomes it.

Was that boy’s only possession really just a clever mind and nullification ability?

“It’s because someone skilled can easily deal with techniques like this. I didn’t think that you, who achieved the top rank, wouldn’t be able to handle just this level of technique!!”

What came after overcoming despair was disappointment that couldn’t even become euphoria.

It even felt like self-deprecation, as if mocking the weak.

“Yes, you’ve been underestimating me from the start. Believing only in that ability, you underestimated me, so you didn’t make any preparations, and naturally, you didn’t think of ways to compensate for your weaknesses.”

What does it matter if you’re first in writing, or if you can ignore magic?

In the end, what’s important is practical application.

If you can’t properly utilize it in a bloody battle where all means and methods are used, all that effort and talent become wasted.

“You’re careless from beginning to end. How lightly do you view the world!? It’s the same with entering this academy for the reason of making friends. Since you view life so lightly, it’s obvious that you accepted my duel challenge with such a frivolous mindset, right?”

The one-sided throws continued.

Eventually, the boy running away like escaping between the stone fragments falling like rain gritted his teeth and gathered strength in his hand.

In the hand that picked up a fallen stone at some point.

With the maximum strength he could muster.

-Whoosh!

The stone thrown like that grazed past Binz’s side.

A desperate act that wasn’t even magic.

But a stinging sensation swept over the place where it passed.

As if the bracelet’s function wasn’t working.

No, the function is still working. The thrown stone just tore through the barrier for a moment.

‘No way…’

Only then did she realize.

That boy’s power can also dwell in objects like mana.

The stone thrown by that power would also nullify magic, and furthermore, it would open a gap in the barrier protecting her body and directly cause damage inside.

“…It’s not a trivial reason.”

And only after noticing that did the boy’s face enter Binz’s eyes.

The bruises on the skin that endured stone throws without even deploying mana-based protection.

The audience in the stands might have been slow to notice due to the distance, but all of this was clearly visible to Binz’s eyes.

“I, sincerely.”

But the boy doesn’t complain about the pain.

After all, he had experienced countless wounds from stones in his hometown.

Because he had lived in such a place, the words of the girl in front of him felt so painful to the boy.

“I came to this academy sincerely wanting to make friends.”

Nurtured from deep underground.

Because he had thought about that longing so seriously.

“…Friends.”

Of course.

That reason might seem very trivial to others.

“I thought so at that time too, but it’s indeed a trivial reason. You, for such a trivial reason…”

“Is that wrong?”

But the boy was confident.

No, he believed it was right.

“Just… wanting to get along well with others… Is it so wrong to come to school for that?”

The boy’s face expressing that sincerity looked very sorrowful.

Perhaps.

Perhaps everything he had firmly believed to be right was being denied at this moment.

Such a human-like worry was glimpsed on the boy’s face at this moment.

“You…”

But even such desperation appeared detestable in Binz’s eyes.

Something that even she hadn’t yet grasped.

This person who had taken the top position at the academy ahead of her.

“Do you not understand what it means to have achieved the top rank in this academy?”

Without even realizing the responsibility that comes with it.

That ignorant and foolish boy who was still chasing after simple ideals seemed so stupid to her.